Launnie Long-standers: Sweetbrew

Step into Tatler Lane and there’s an energy you can feel straight away. The sound of cups on saucers, the low hum of conversation, the scent of freshly roasted coffee drifting through the air. It feels alive, yet welcoming, like walking into someone’s home rather than a café. That feeling has always been at the heart of what owners Archana and Tim wanted to create.

Before Sweetbrew became a Launceston institution, Archana and her husband Tim were running a tourism businesses on Tasmania’s East Coast. After a few intense years, they pressed pause and moved away to reset, reconnect, and think about what mattered most. “We knew whatever came next had to involve people,” Archana recalls. “We wanted to share, to create something that felt alive.”

In 2014, that idea took shape on George Street. With almost no money and a tiny space that could seat just a handful of people, they opened Sweetbrew. It was a six-seat hole-in-the-wall café that poured its first coffee with Five Senses beans and a determination to challenge the local coffee scene. “We wanted to show that specialty coffee could work in Launceston,” Archana says. “We were nervous, but people gave us a chance.” Sweetbrew quickly became a small but powerful part of Launceston’s coffee story. The couple introduced specialty coffee to a city that was still discovering it, focusing on quality over quantity. “We used smaller cups, timed every shot, and paid attention to every detail,” Archana says. “At first people thought it was strange, but then they tasted the difference.”

They aimed to sell 45 coffees on opening day. They sold 90.

What started as a hole-in-the-wall café has since grown into something much larger. Today, Tatler Lane by Sweetbrew fills a light-filled laneway off of St John Street with the same care and warmth that began on George Street. It’s now a café, bar, roastery, and event space, with more than 140 seats and a team representing thirteen nationalities and fifteen languages. “It still feels like an extension of our home,” Archana says. “Whether you’re celebrating, grieving, tired or joyful, we want you to feel looked after here.”

That genuine care runs through everything they do. It shows in the way customers are greeted, in the consistency of the coffee, and in the atmosphere that has drawn people in for over a decade. “Hospitality is about people,” Archana says. “It’s not just service. It’s care.”

Over the years, Sweetbrew has grown beyond Launceston. Their original location on George Street re-located to a larger space within the St Lukes Wellness Hub at 93 Cimitiere St, giving locals a familiar taste of Sweetbrew in their daily routine. In Campbell Town, another Sweetbrew café brings that same warmth to travellers and locals alike. Each location holds its own personality, but the same heart hums through them all.

Running multiple cafés and a full service restaurant hasn’t been easy, but Archana sees each challenge as part of the story. “This industry is demanding. It asks a lot of you physically, mentally, and financially,” she says. “But it’s also a gift. Every person who walks through the door has chosen to spend their money with us. That’s something to honour.”

Tatler Lane continues to evolve, offering events, collaborations, and a growing wholesale roasting arm that shares their signature blend across Tasmania. “We’ve never stayed still,” Archana says. “We keep adapting, keep learning, keep creating.”

When asked about what’s next, she smiles. “I’d love to open a small café near my hometown in India one day. And maybe a hole-in-the-wall in Hobart. But whatever happens, it will always come back to people."

Her advice for anyone thinking about opening a café in Launceston is simple. “Think carefully. Do your maths. Don’t do it just because you love the idea. Do it because you’re ready to work hard and build something that lasts.”

From a six-seat café on George Street to a thriving laneway hub, Tatler Lane and Sweetbrew have become woven into the fabric of Launceston life. For Archana and her team, it has always been about more than coffee. It’s about connection, care, and creating spaces where everyone feels at home.